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Fenn Rau
Fenn Rau was a male Mandalorian who served as Skull Leader during the Clone Wars and, after the rise of the Galactic Empire, as the leader of the Protectors of Concord Dawn approximately three years before the Battle of Yavin. During the Clone Wars, he and his fellow Protectors fought alongside the Galactic Republicand the Jedi Order. Rau supported the Republic's successor government, the Empire, who tasked him with keeping a watch over the Concord Dawn system for rebel activities. This brought him into conflict with the Phoenix rebel cell, attempted to seek safe passage through the system in order to travel to the Lothal sector. After Rau attacked Hera Syndulla's diplomatic mission, her rebel comrades Sabine Wren and Kanan Jarrus launched a retaliatory attack which ended with his capture by the rebels. In captivity, Rau ordered his Protectors not to rescue him and to give the rebellionfree passage through the Concord Dawn system. For the next year, Fenn Rauremained a captive of the rebellion. After the rebellion lost contact with the Protectors, Rau was sent on a recon mission to Concord Dawn to investigate the Protectors. There, he along with the rebels Sabine, Ezra Bridger, and C1-10P discovered that his nemesis Imperial Viceroy Gar Saxon had killed the Protectors. Rau was forced to work with his nominal enemies to escape Saxon and his Imperial Super Commandos. Due to his respect for Sabine's devotion to her rebel comrades, Rau decided to join the Rebellion. Biography Background At the Clone Wars Rau, other Mandalorian warriors, and as well as various mercenaries were hired by Kaminoan cloners, who themselves had been hired to create a clone army for the Galactic Republic, to train and equip cloned human males of the bounty hunter Jango Fett. Rau traveled to the ocean planet Kamino, where the Kaminoans were centered, in their capital, Tipoca City. In recognition of Rau's ability as a pilot, Rau specialized in training clone troopers who went on to become pilots in the Grand Army of the Republic. Years later, not long after the first batch of cloned soldiers reached maturity, the clones were called on by the Republic for use against the Confederacy of Independent Systems, which began the galaxy-wide conflict named for the clones, the Clone Wars. Rau led Skull Squadron (a squadron of Mandalorian fighter pilots) as Skull Leader in numerous battles and skirmishes against the Separatist battle droids, often fighting alongside clone soldiers he had trained. In the third year of the Clone Wars, Rau led Skull Squadron during the Third Battle of Mygeeto, on the Outer Rim planet Mygeeto. Rau's actions during the battle helped saved the lives of the Jedi Master Depa Billaba and her Padawan Caleb Dume and many Republic Clone troopers. Age of the Empire The Protector of Concord Dawn Following the transformation of the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire, Fenn Rau and his Protectors sided with the new regime. About three years before the Battle of Yavin, Rau became the Empire's main ally on Concord Dawn. As Protector of Concord Dawn, he was tasked with fighting rebels forces and reporting on their activities to the Empire. When the rebel pilot Hera Syndulla and Phoenix Squadron traveled to the Concord Dawn system to negotiate for safe passage, they were intercepted by Rau and his Fang fighters, who demanded to know why they were visiting his system. Hera replied that the rebels were seeking safe passage and that they would stand with Concord Dawn against the Empire. Fenn responded by ordering an attack on the rebels' A-wing starfighters. During the ensuing dogfight, Fenn and his Fang fighters shot down two A-wing fighters, Phoenix Three and Phoenix Four, and badly damaged Hera's fighter. Hera managed to escape back to the Phoenix fleet but sustained serious injuries. In response, the Mandalorian rebel Sabine Wren, who had accompanied Hera on the mission, advocated destroying Rau's starfighters. Sabine had tracked Fenn's starfighters to a camp on the Third moon of Concord Dawn. The Phoenix rebel commander Jun Sato authorized a retaliatory strike against the Protectors and sent the former Padawan Kanan Jarrus and the astromech droid Chopper to the Concord Dawn system. Despite Kanan's objections, Sabine came along intent on seeking retribution against Fenn. Upon reaching the camp, Kanan told Sabine that he still planned to negotiate with Rau, however Sabine was intent on destroying his Fang fighters. Splitting up, Kanan followed Rau into a building, while Sabine proceeded to plant charges on the fighters. While Rau was fetching a drink, he spotted Kanan and allowed the intruder to reveal his identity. Kanan identified himself as a Jedi veteran of the Clone Wars who had taken part in the Third Battle of Mygeeto. Kanan thanked Fenn for saving him and his master's lives during that battle. Rau recalled being a young and reckless fighter during that battle but failed to see what it had to do with Jarrus infiltrating his base. Jarrus then appealed to Rau to join the rebellion but the Protector was unwilling to side against the Empire. In his mind, the rebellion had little chance of victory and he thought that it was foolish to commit to a losing side. Despite Kanan's arguments, Rau remained uninterested in fighting another losing war alongside the Jedi. Fenn's conversation with Kanan was interrupted by the arrival of one his subordinates, who reported that a group of Protectors had encountered an intruder who had invoked the Mandalorian code to seek justice through single combat. This intruder turned out to be Sabine, a member of Clan Wren, a part of House Vizsla which had sided with the Death Watch, the sworn enemies of the Protectors during the Clone Wars. While Kanan offered to reason with Sabine, Fenn decided to accept Sabine's challenge and so confronted Sabine in the square near the parked Fang fighters. As Fenn drew his blaster pistol, Sabine shot it out of his hand, and then triggered several explosives which destroyed seven of the Fang fighters. Rau's fighter survived the bombing and the enraged Protector decided to confront the rebel fleet. However, Kanan managed to grab the starfighter and hold on to it as it ascended into the sky. Despite Rau's attempts to shake off Kanan, the Jedi managed to breach the cockpit with his lightsaber and damage the starfighter's controls. After knocking out Rau, Kanan carried him while jumping aboard the waiting rebel ship Phantom, before travelling back into space to rejoin the rebel fleet. As the Phantom traveled back to the rebel fleet, Rau stirred and his transmitter began buzzing. Kanan ordered the captive Fenn to answer the device. Upon activating it, Rau was informed by his subordinates that the Protectors had prepared starfighters for a counter-attack. However, Rau ordered them to call of the attack. He agreed to give the rebels safe passage through the Concord Dawn system in exchange for them keeping his capture a secret. Rau was taken back to the Phoenix fleet where he was taken into custody by rebel forces as a "reluctant recruit". Return to Concord Dawn Rau remained a captive of the Rebellion. Rau bid his time in rebel custody by playing a game of Cubikahd with Sabine. Despite her family's traitorous past, Rau got on well with Sabine. However, he rebuffed her attempts to recruit him into the Rebellion; believing that the Protectors were already doing enough without drawing the Empire's attention. Shortly later, Rau and Sabine were summoned by Zeb for a briefing at the war room with Sato and Hera. During the briefing, Sato revealed that the rebels had lost contact with the Protectors and voiced his suspicion that they were luring them into a trap. Rau spoke up for his men and explained that something bad must have happened to the Protectors. He agreed to go and investigate. Hera reluctantly allowed Rau to leave for the Concord Dawn System on a recon probe but sent Sabine along with Ezra and Chopper to keep an eye on him. During the journey aboard Phantom II, while Ezra was distracted by the sight of Concord Dawn's shattered southern hemisphere, Rau broke free and stunned Ezra and Sabine. Rau then landed the Phantom II near the Protectors Camp. He walked up a hill and discovered that another Mandalorian faction had slaughtered the Protectors. Shortly later, he was joined by Ezra and Sabine, who had been freed by Chopper. Ezra used the Force to snatch his blaster that Rau took out of his hand. Together with the rebels, Rau explored the camp and discovered evidence that another Mandalorian clan had attacked. Rau then chastised Sabine and the Rebellion for keeping him prisoner and preventing him from aiding his men. Sabine replied that she was not the enemy and remarked that this did not make sense. At that point, Chopper and Ezra detected movement. Rau and the rebels were then attacked by a Viper Probe Droid, which Sabine managed to destroy. Rau wanted to bargain with the Empire but Sabine refused to let that happened and ordered Chopper to secure the Phantom II. Before they could argue any further, Rau and the rebels were forced to flee into hiding when Imperial Viceroy Gar Saxon turned up with several Imperial Super Commandos. Rau and Sabine managed to escape by hiding behind a building but Ezra and Chopper along with the Phantom II were captured. When Sabine expressed her desire to rescue Ezra, Rau responded that the boy provided a diversion for the Mandalorians, who were looking for him. He also opined that Ezra would be safer without his lightsaber since the Empire was hunting for Jedi. The two then moved to a safe vantage point on a hill where they could observe the Super Commandos. After some discussion, Rau agreed to help Sabine keep the Super Commandos from taking the Phantom II, which contained the coordinates for Chopper Base. While Rau had little love for the Rebellion, he was willing to help due to his hatred for Saxon; whom he regarded as a traitor who served the Empire. Sabine then agreed to rescue Ezra and Chopper. Putting their plans into action, Rau sneaked aboard the Phantom II and knocked out the sentry following a fist fight. However, he then decided not to help the rebels escape and fled into space. While departing from Concord Dawn, Rau had a change of heart and decided to return for Sabine and her friends. Rau arrived just in time to save the rebels from being executed by Saxon and one of his surviving Super Commandos. Sabine and her companions had managed to lead the Super Commandos into a canyon but were unable to steal Saxon's ship. Rau told Saxon that the rebels were under his protection and proceeded to destroy Saxon's ship and to gun down the surviving Super Commando. Following a struggle with Saxon, the rebels managed to flee aboard the Phantom II with Rau. Once in space, Sabine confronted Rau about his change of heart. In response, he told her that her willingness to save her friends even though they were not Mandalorians showed that she still respected the "old ways." In his view, that had earned his respect. When Ezra remarked about the "craziness" of Mandalorian culture, Rau responded that he was crazy enough to join the Rebellion. Sabine then welcomed her former foe into their "family." Skills and Abilities Fenn Rau was a skilled pilot and strong leader. These qualities earned him a place as an pilot instructor for the Clone Troopers of Grand Army of the Republic and later as the leader of the Protectors. A skilled starfighter pilot, Fenn excelled in dogfighting. He also commanded a squadron of Fang Fighters and personally trained all the pilots. Rau was a skilled strategist who enjoyed playing Cubikhad. He was able to find a flaw in Sabine's strategy and beat her. Rau was also good at unarmed combat and also knew how to free himself from magnetic binders. In addition, Rau was able to use guile and deception to trick his opponents into lowering their guard. Personality and Traits During the Clone Wars, Fenn Rau was loyal to the Galactic Republic. On one occasion, he led Skull Squadron on an operation to assist the Jedi and Clone troopers during the Third Battle of Mygeeto; an action which he later regarded as brave and reckless. As the leader of the Protectors, he opposed the Death Watch that had seized control of Mandalore during the conflict. Due to this experience, Rau harbored a dislike for those Mandalorians who had sided with the Death Watch. Following the Clone Wars, Fenn remained loyal to the Republic's successor government: the Galactic Empire. He refused to supporting the growing rebellion since he believed that it had a small chance of success against the Empire. Fenn's loyalty to the Empire led him to initially deny safe passage to Phoenix Squadron and to attack a rebel delegation led by Hera Syndulla. As a hardened warrior, Fenn exhibited little regret for the lives he had taken during the dogfight above Concord Dawn. After the rebels attacked his base in retaliation, Fenn was so consumed by rage that he tried to destroy the rebel fleet in retaliation. Despite his hatred for the rebels, Rau was pragmatic enough to concede defeat after being kidnapped by Kanan and Sabine. Unwilling to see the Protectors lose their freedom to the Empire, he allowed the rebels safe passage through the Concord Dawn System in return for concealing his capture. Despite regarding Sabine's family as traitors, Rau befriended her since they were Mandalorians. However, he refused to join the Rebellion and desired the opportunity to return to his followers. Despite his ambivalence towards the Rebellion, Rau hated his nemesis Saxon even more. Rau regarded Saxon as a traitor and collaborator with the Empire. This hatred for Saxon, coupled with his respect for Sabine's devotion to her non-Mandalorian rebel comrades, ultimately led Rau to decide to join the Rebellion. Gallery The Protector of Concord Dawn 05.jpg The Protector of the Concord Dawn 11.jpeg Trivia *He was voiced by Kevin McKidd, who also voiced John "Soap" MacTavish. 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